App will help drivers avoid traffic congestion

Avoid traffic

Looking to get around traffic trouble spots in York Region more easily? There will soon be an app for that.

In partnership with Markham’s GreenOwl Mobile, the region will soon introduce its first mobile application aimed at keeping motorists informed about traffic congestion, ongoing construction work, collisions and community safety zones.

The region provides some of that information through its website, social media channels and other means, integrated intelligent transportation systems project manager Gregg Loane explained.

But the new application, dubbed Travel Alert, will be a big leap forward, thanks to its ability to provide travellers with visual and audible alerts about changing road conditions with a hands-free, voice-activated interface.

The region wants to move to en route travel information, Mr. Loane said, noting if you can get travel information, such as the location of accidents, while you’re on the go, it helps keep you safer and keeps you moving.

GreenOwl is already somewhat well-known in the field, having developed a similar app that has already been deployed by a number of CTV Toronto affiliates, including CP24, and a variety of local radio stations.

York’s Travel Alert is expected to launch Feb. 18 for BlackBerry, Android and iPhone devices and will be the first local traffic app launched by a Canadian municipality, Mr. Loane said.

And while there are a number of other traffic apps on the market, Travel Alert should stand out from the crowd, because it will have York Region-specific data, which is something other applications simply do not have, he said.

“That’s information that isn’t included in any of the other apps out there today,” he said. “It’s too expensive for them to do it region by region and municipality by municipality, as you might imagine.”

To use the app, you will first need to download it, start it up before beginning your journey, enter your destination and select from one of three routes. As you travel, the app will inform you of upcoming alert areas.

You can also name and save destinations for future use.

While in use, the app will collect a range of anonymous data, such as vehicular speed, and you can report issues you can encounter. Other information will be gathered from media sources and the app will be constantly updated with traffic incidents and road closures directly from the region’s traffic management systems.

Most transportation services committee members seemed impressed by the concept, but some still had concerns.

It’s pretty exciting, but the region needs to make sure the information is accurate and up to date, regional chairperson Bill Fisch said.

“If someone is headed down Woodbine Avenue and there’s an accident or some other delay and they’re not made aware of it, our reputation in this area will degrade dramatically.

“We’ll want to keep on top of it.”

Georgina Mayor Robert Grossi said he worried people might uninstall the app after a few days if it only functions to remind them of the same ongoing delays again and again on their way to work.

Richmond Hill Regional Councillor Vito Spatafora agreed, adding the app would be even more helpful if it offered alternative routes in real-time for motorists to avoid problems. He was pleased to hear such a feature was under development.

Committee vice-chairperson and Markham Regional Councillor Gordon Landon didn’t have a specific issue with the new app, but he urged the region to work with its local towns and cities to co-ordinate the development of apps to avoid flooding the market with a plethora of similar utilities, which would be better amalgamated into a single program.

In any event, council moved to proceed with the Travel Alert pilot project. It will run for one year at a cost of about $36,000.